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Simone Biles Breaks Own Record, Becomes Most Decorated Gymnast in History

The 26-year-old Olympic athlete now has 27 world championship medals.

Ananya Panchal

Simone Biles

Simone Biles, at 26, has officially become the most decorated gymnast in history. The Ohio native concluded the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships with four gold medals, securing her a total of 27 world championship medals—21 of which are gold. Combining this achievement with her seven Olympic medals, Biles now boasts a record 34 World Championship and Olympic medals, solidifying her status as the most decorated gymnast in history.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist won the all-around title, her sixth ever, on Friday and took the runner-up spot on the vaults.

The U.S. women’s team finished two points head of Brazil on Wednesday and Biles lead the group to its seventh consecutive gold medal.

“team finals 🤍 it was an interesting & unexpected night! I’m so proud of the fight Team USA put out 🇺🇸 It’s such a blessing to represent the US at another World Championships!also go WCC ❤️,” she captioned an Instagram post celebrating the moment.

“The history we are witnessing is unreal,” Christian Morales commented.

Biles, who began competing at the tournament in Antwerp, Belgium at the age of 16, returned to the competition for the first time since 2019.

“It’s like as long as I get out there, do those routines again, like it’s a win in my book,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if I end up on the podium or not. I think I worried a little bit more about ending up on the podium [before] and now I’m just like, I don’t care.”

The SI Swimsuit model, who recently married Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens, is set to compete in Paris next year. She and coach, Cecile Landi, are taking a  “whatever happens, happens,” approach to keep pressure off and protect her mental health. 

In August Biles dominated at the U.S. Classic in Illinois—the competition and announcement at the time marked her return to the sport following a two-year hiatus after she withdrew from the women’s all-around final at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

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Ananya Panchal
ANANYA PANCHAL

Ananya Panchal is a NYC-based Lifestyle & Trending News writer at SI Swimsuit. Before joining the Swim team, the Boston University Alum worked for culture & entertainment beats at Bustle, The San Francisco Chronicle and the TODAY Show. When Ananya is not writing or doom-scrolling on social media, she can be found playing sudoku, rewatching One Tree Hill or trying new restaurants. She's also a coffee and chocolate (separately) enthusiast. 

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